honestly, if he actually has a really torn area in that rotator cuff, nothing short of surgical repair in some shape or form is going to truely fix it. once a tear simply starts, it continues to in a more ongoing way, til one day while attempting to lift something or using another ROM, it can just snap. mine did. if you are actually feeling a much more prominant bone up there, i am assuming somewhere across the top perhaps? then what probably occured is a full tear of that very top tendon(the MOST commonly torn of them all) the supraspinatus. before, that tendon simply ran across that bone, but once any of the many tendons up there fully tears, it would suddenly expose the underlying bone much more than before?
if he actually felt a sensation like hot water was running thru a muscle it could have actually been other fluids that are within the acro joint like synovial or bursa? the luricating fluids up in that joint area? or it could have just actually been a muscle tear or tendon too that believe me burns like all get out at times when it occurs? i would kind of doubt it would be actual blood only because tendons ligaments and even muscle just do not carry a heavy blood supply like other areas of our bodies just do?
getting that MRI will tell you alot about how much real damage is actually within that rotator. the thing about our shoulders is they just carry the MOST mobile of all joints within our bodies and the many many different ranges of motion that are even possible are only due to the many tendons, muscles and ligamants that make it up in that rotator cuff at all. so over years of repetitive use and wear and tear, they DO take a ton of overall abuse. and as i mentioned above, that very top running tendon that goes from around likethe base of the neck on out to the top of the shoulder is one that really really gets the most abuse and use over time. mine was actually torn but i did not know it til one morning i went to lift something up off my fridge,felt a pull then something let go on me and pain shot across my shouler. i had just snapped my supra right in half at that very moment. because they are under tension they do tend to actually snap and then retract backwards which would allow you to feel underlying bone there too. i could with mine as well.
i had a really much bigger overall mess inside my shoulder than i ever could have thought after i got the results from my MRI. i tore that top one and also partially started to tear the one directly underneath it as it had been also trying to help compensate at times for what was tearing above it? also some bone spurring within the acro joint and the standard tendonitis too which i am sure he will also probably have? it just inflammed tendons bascally. what will be done for your hubby will of course depend pretty much what is actually torn or damaged in him that will show on that MRI. but i can tell you right now that if an actual physio feels he did indeed tear a tendon, he more than likely did. even my primary when i went into see him only had to try and run my arm/shoulder thru some basic ROMS and man did that ever hurt, and some i could not do at all? that hands on eval really does tell an educated type of doc alot, trust me.
i did have a very successful rotator repair done and my shoulder is working really well now. this all happened to me like in 08? just getting him referred to a really good orthosurgeon who actually does specialize in shoulders really will help tons in getting this back on track. exactly when is his MRI scheduled for? with the right surgeon they really can do amazing things in putting the 'ends' back together again and sewing up smaller tears too before they become bigger ones. if your hubby actually snapped a tendon, he will also probably have some level of other areas of tears too. our shoulders just take sooo much abuse and we really don't think about it til something happens to it? but that rotator cuff area really has a ton of "working' parts to it that all take alot of ongoing everday stress and strain,then as we age,things just start to kind of wear out on us?
if hubby plays any sports like softball or baseball like i did for many years too, that too adds up now what we used to do before or we still do? just plain old wear and tear. hopefully things are not too bad for him. alotof the surgery can usually be done mostly using a scope and smaller tiny incisions made? i had to have only one larger incision right where that supra snapped kind of towards the end part of the top of my shoulder? what it will entail for repair will all be dictated by his actual level of damage upon that MRI and what a good ortho will also feel when he does HIS exam/eval on him too. i do hope it is not too bad, but he will more than likely need to prepare himself for at least some level of surgical repair from what you have only mentioned here so far? sorry to have to tell ya that one. these types of injures just HAVE to be sewen back together in order for them to even heal at all.
when he gets that MRI done, also make certain to obtain your very own copy of the report just so you have one? they do come in kinds handy for certain things. please let me know just what he finds out after that MRI gets done, K? i DO wish him and you too lots of luck with this. FB
